Lauren Novak

Roseanne was a popular sitcom in the '80s and '90s. It was so well-loved they brought it back with a new sitcom called The Conners! But because of her controversial views, they killed off Roseanne's character in the new series. This wasn't the only controversial thing to happen on the series on set. While the show tackled taboo subjects, there were tons of crazy things that happened on the set too. Learn more about some of the most interesting and shocking things that happened while filming Roseanne: 1. Roseanne's then-husband almost played her husband on the show Roseanne Barr with her husband, actor Tom Arnold, circa 1990 / Kypros/Getty Images Roseanne wanted her then-husband Tom Arnold to play Dan Conners. However, when John Goodman read the script, they knew he was the perfect man for the job. It was probably a good thing because Roseanne and Tom divorced in 1994. 2. Jackie wasn't originally Roseanne's best friend Crystal Anderson / ABC In the beginning, Roseanne's neighbor Crystal Anderson was supposed to be her best friend. However, Laurie Metcalf (Jackie) was so great, the writers ended up getting rid of Crystal in the show. 3. There were some controversial episodes that caused the show creator to leave Wedding / ABC Roseanne has a gay brother and sister in real life. She wanted to include these types of issues in the show and one episode had a marriage between two men. This led show creator Matt Williams to leave the show. 4. Becky Connor's character was played by two actresses Becky Conner / ABC At first, Lecy Goranson played Becky Conner. When she left for college, they brought on Sarah Chalke to the set. Over the years, the show went back and forth between the two actresses. Talk about confusing! How do you feel when a show switches actors or actresses for a character? Read onto the NEXT page to learn who was the most famous guest star on Roseanne! 5. 'Roseanne' had some notable guest stars George Clooney / ABC The most famous would probably be George Clooney. He played the foreman at Roseanne's work. He was also a guest star on The Golden Girls before he got so famous! 6. The show almost got shut down before it started because of the set 'Roseanne' cast / ABC It wasn't for any controversial reasons, it was because the set did not meet fire codes! They had to delay shooting the pilot episode for months until everything was fixed and approved. 7. Roseanne would boycott episodes Roseanne Barr / ABC If there was even one line in an episode that she didn't like, Roseanne would try to boycott the entire episode! 8. There was a high turnover for writers 'Roseanne' / ABC There were always new writers because of their frustration. Roseanne would give them shirts with numbers so she wouldn't have to learn their names. Yikes. Read onto the NEXT page to find out which sitcom inspired Roseanne to start the show. 9. She was inspired for the show by 'All in the Family' 'All in the Family' / Tandem Productions Roseanne wanted her character to be a female Archie Bunker. She was very inspired by All in the Family and loved the show. 10. When Disney purchased ABC, they made one change to the show Disney World / ABC Disney had the writers create an episode where the Conners went to Disney World. They hoped it would boost ticket sales. 11. Roseanne had to hide her plastic surgery scars in season 6 'Roseanne' / ABC In some of the episodes, Roseanne looks a bit orange. It was because she had plastic surgery and they had to cover up her scars with tons of makeup. Learn what Roseanne Barr's reaction was when they took her out of The Conners!